Lady Gaga is helping Mary J. Blige send underprivileged women to college after striking up an unlikely friendship with the R&B icon. The two singers have bonded over their charity work and Blige reveals the Poker Face hitmaker has made a substantial donation to her Foundation For the Advancement of Women Now (FFAWN) organization, which provides scholarships for disadvantaged New Yorkers.

But Gaga isn’t the only celebrity to lend support to Blige’s cause.

She tells UsMagazine.com, “Lady Gaga donated a huge cheque and just wanted to be involved. It means so much! And of course Jay-Z is involved.”

Revealing her admiration for Gaga, Blige adds, “We have the same management team, and she loves me and I love her. I always tell her when I see her that nobody brings me joy like she does when I watch her videos – they just crack me up!

“I just tell her to just be her! I say, ‘You’re amazing and just keep doing what you’re doing!’ I love what she’s doing, and she’s not letting anybody hold her back and she’s not following the leader, she’s leading.”

Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Hudson and Queen Latifah all helped to boost the profile of FFAWN by performing at a charity concert in Manhattan on Sunday.